Learning Danish for non-Danish citizens

Non-Danish citizens who move to Denmark are normally entitled to attend Danish courses free of charge. We offer two types of Danish courses: a beginner course oriented towards the labour market and the standard Danish course programme.

Danish for the labour market

If you arrive in Denmark as a non-Danish citizen, are 18 years or older and have not arrived as a refugee or based on family reunification, you are entitled to a Danish course for the labour market free of charge. Please contact the Rudersdal Department of Employment, which will refer you to a language school.

Standard Danish course programme

If you are a refugee or are a new resident based on family reunification, you will automatically be referred to a language school within 1 month of arrival in Rudersdal. You will be offered the standard Danish course programme free of charge.

Danish for the labour market

If you arrive in Denmark as a non-Danish citizen, are 18 years or older and have not arrived as a refugee or based on family reunification, you are entitled to a Danish course for the labour market free of charge.

This means that the Danish course for the labour market is right for you if you are a non-Danish citizen and are in the labour market or are an accompanying spouse, student, cross-border commuter (EU) or au pair.

Further requirements include that you:

have a residence permit or permanent legal residence in Denmark and are registered as residing in the municipality in the Civil Registration system; or

are an EU citizen who has moved to Denmark to work and reside in the Municipality of Rudersdal; or

are a cross-border commuter from the EU, meaning that you live in another EU country but work in Denmark and reside in the Municipality of Rudersdal.

If you are a tourist or diplomat, you are not entitled to attend Danish courses free of charge.

You must contact the Job Centre if you are a newly arrived non-Danish citizen and want to take Danish for the labour market. The Job Centre will determine whether you fulfil the residence requirements to be offered the course. If you do, they will refer you to a language school, which you may normally choose.

Then you will be invited to participate in an interview at the language school.

You may begin language courses about 1 month after your interview at the language school.

Danish for the labour market is for beginners and includes a maximum of 250 hours of classes divided into five modules of 50 hours each. You must complete the course within 18 months after starting.

As far as possible, the courses are adapted to your job and your need for speaking Danish.

YOU CAN CONTINUE LEARNING DANISH IN THE STANDARD DANISH COURSE PROGRAMME

When you have completed Danish for the labour market, you may continue to learn Danish in the standard Danish course programme. You must complete this within 3 years of starting.

The language school decides which standard Danish course you will be offered. Read more about the standard Danish courses below.

YOU MUST COMPLETE BOTH PROGRAMMES WITHIN 4.5 YEARS AFTER STARTING

You must complete both Danish for the labour market and the standard Danish course programme within 4.5 years – without interruption. This means that you must take the standard Danish course programme immediately after completing Danish for the labour market. If you do not complete the 250-hour Danish for the labour market within 18 months, you will not be entitled to start the standard Danish course programme.

If you leave Denmark while your residence permit is still valid, the deadline for completing the programmes does not change. This means that you will not be able to continue the programmes when you get back if more than 4.5 years has passed since you started.

OVERVIEW OF THE DANISH COURSE PROGRAMMES

Danish for the labour market is for non-Danish citizens newly arrived in Denmark who have not arrived as refugees or based on family reunification. The three standard Danish courses are for refugees and people who are residents based on family reunification.

Source: Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration

Overview of the Danish course programmes

Danish for the labour market is for non-Danish citizens newly arrived in Denmark who have not arrived as refugees or based on family reunification. The three standard Danish courses are for refugees and people who are residents based on family reunification.

Source: Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration

Standard Danish course programme

If you are a refugee or resident based on family reunification, you will automatically be offered the standard Danish course programme as part of your integration programme. You have 5 years to complete it.

If you are a non-Danish citizen, are 18 years or older and have not arrived as a refugee or based on family reunification, you must complete Danish for the labour market before you will be offered the standard Danish course programme.

If you are a refugee or resident based on family reunification, you will automatically be referred to a language school within 1 month of arrival in Rudersdal.

If you are a non-Danish citizen and newly arrived in Denmark but not a refugee or resident based on family reunification, you must inform the language school if you want to continue the standard Danish course programme after you have completed Danish for the labour market. You will be placed in the standard Danish course that benefits you optimally.

If you pass the Danish 2 Examination, the equivalent of the Danish 2 Examination or a higher examination in Danish*, you may be entitled to a supplementary benefit to the integration benefit based on proficiency in Danish of up to DKK 1517 per month.

*Examples of equivalent higher-level examinations in Danish include passing the final examination in Danish in grades 9 or 10 of primary and lower-secondary school (Folkeskole) with an average grade of 6 (on the 13-point grading scale used until 2006) or 02 on the current 7-point grading scale (the grades received for neatness do not count).

You can also take the courses at VUC Lyngby (an adult education centre).

You must apply online if you qualify for the supplementary benefit to the integration benefit based on proficiency in Danish. Scroll to the bottom of this page to apply.

In special cases, employment may lead to dispensation in eligibility for the supplementary benefit to the integration benefit based on proficiency in Danish. This means that you may receive the supplementary benefit even though you cannot attend the standard Danish course programme or pass the Danish 2 Examination.

APPLY FOR THE SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT TO THE INTEGRATION BENEFIT BASED ON PROFICIENCY IN DANISH

If you pass the Danish 2 Examination, the equivalent of the Danish 2 Examination or a higher examination in Danish,*you can apply for supplementary benefit to the integration benefit based on proficiency in Danish.

*Examples of equivalent higher-level examinations in Danish include passing the final examination in Danish in grades 9 or 10 of primary and lower-secondary school (Folkeskole) with an average grade of 6 (on the 13-point grading scale used until 2006) or 02 on the current 7-point grading scale (the grades received for neatness do not count).

You must apply online and attach a certificate proving that you are entitled to receive the supplementary benefit.